Interim president hired as Fulton County Chamber considers merger

PHOTOGRAPHER: Michael Lamendola

The Fulton County Chamber of Commerce and Industry has hired an interim president to help with its transition into a regional chamber of commerce, creation of which should be decided later this week.

Mark Kilmer will begin the part-time job May 10 for an undisclosed salary. He will replace Terry Swierzowski, current interim president and director of tourism and communications. She is leaving the Fulton County chamber Friday to work for Lexington Center.

Kilmer has been involved with the Fulton County chamber for more than 20 years as a volunteer member and officer. He served on the chamber’s board of directors until January and was board treasurer for more than a decade. He also served as chairman of the chamber’s board in 1995 and 1996.

Outside of the chamber, Kilmer is president of Edgerson, a company that operates self-serve car washes in Gloversville and Johnstown. He expects to continue operating his business while working for the chamber, even if it should merge with the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce.

Members of both chambers are voting Thursday on the proposed merger. Should members approve the merger, the new entity will be called the Fulton Montgomery Regional Chamber of Commerce, said Terri Easterly, chairman of the Fulton County chamber’s board of directors.

The new chamber will create its own board of directors, launch a search for a permanent president and decide on staffing and office locations. It will become operational once the merger is approved by the state Attorney General’s Office, said Brennen Parker, chairman of the Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce’s board of directors.

Kilmer is expected to work with Peter Capobianco, interim president of the Montgomery County chamber, during any transition, Parker said. “The two will work together and we will search for a new candidate. The new, combined board will work through this decision process,” he said. “It will be up to the new board to decide.”

He said the proposed regional chamber does not need two interim presidents.

Kilmer said he took the job because the Fulton County chamber needed “someone to come in who is familiar with chambers. I have good insights with the local chamber and they felt confident I could keep the wheels turning until they find someone permanent.”

He continued, “I will try to do the public relations that puts this thing together and will work to make it a stronger, better chamber. I can see nothing but positives for this.”

In addition to his work with the chamber, Kilmer has been vice chairman of the Fulton County Center for Economic Growth and is a board member of the Crossroads Incubator Corporation, a subsidiary of the center. He serves on the boards of Mountain Valley Hospice and the Gloversville Economic Development Corp.